A train-information management device collects and manages data regarding the conditions of various devices provided on each vehicle of a train, and it can then control the individual devices on the basis of the collected condition data. Control target devices are power converters that convert electric power supplied from an overhead wire and then supply the converted power to the main electric motors and to auxiliary devices, and devices such as air conditioners, lighting devices, and braking devices.
In recent years, trains have generally included a regenerative brake that brakes by using a main electric motor and then returns electric power generated during the braking back to the overhead wire so as to be used by other trains. The regenerative brake has a problem in that when there are no other trains or the like that consume electric power in the vicinity of the braking train, the electric power cannot be returned to the overhead wire, which causes regeneration reduction or regeneration loss, and thus electric power generated by the regenerative brake cannot be effectively used. In order to solve the problem as described above, in the invention described in Patent Literature 1 listed below, when effective regenerative braking is lost, the pressure in a main air reservoir of an air brake is checked and if the pressure is lower than an appropriate value, an electrical brake (a regenerative brake) is operated in order to use electric power generated by the electrical brake to operate a compressor, thereby achieving effective utilization of the regenerated power.